UNH men's hockey prepping for stretch run

DURHAM — Timing is everything so the seniors on the University of New Hampshire hockey team got together and picked last Saturday before the Merrimack game to hold a rare players-only meeting.

The Wildcats had dropped a 3-2 decision the previous night for their second straight loss and third in four games.

“We felt like we’d fallen off track a little bit,” said captain Connor Hardowa. “We just needed a reminder as a team to remember where we are. We can’t be sitting on what we did before Christmas because we really haven’t impressed anybody after Christmas.”

UNH is 4-4 following the break after losing just two games the first two months of the season.

“The timing was probably the best part of it,” sophomore forward Grayson Downing said of the impromptu meeting. “We haven’t had the best second half compared to the first. I just think we just needed to regroup and refocus on what needs to be done.”

The result was a much-needed, 6-2 win over the Warriors that earned the Wildcats a split of the weekend series.

“It was a just a feeling and the importance of the second game of a weekend series especially after getting pounded on at Merrimack,” Hardowa said. “It just felt like the right time and something needed to be said.”

It was only the second time this season the Wildcats scored as many as six goals in one game.

“I think it gets everyone on the same page,” Downing said of the meeting. “It’s a long season and eventually someone’s going to stray here and there.”

The challenge now is to keep it going. The Wildcats are at Northeastern tonight (7) and host Merrimack on Saturday night (7, WBIN).

Five of UNH’s seven games in February are on the road before closing out the regular season with four straight home games.

“February feels like the month when everything turns into playoff hockey,” Hardowa said. “It’s been building up since Christmas. Everybody is starting to get more competitive.”

“You have to go in with that playoff mentality,” Downing said, “because if you don’t you’re not going to win games.”

With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the No. 3/4 Wildcats (15-6-2, 10-5-1 Hockey East) are tied for second with Boston University in the league standings, two points behind Boston College.

They have two games in hand on BC and one on BU. Five points separate first place from sixth.

Merrimack (10-10-5, 8-6-2 HE) is looking for home ice while Northeastern (7-12-3, 4-10-3 HE) is fighting for a playoff spot.

“It’s clear that everybody’s battling for some sort of playoff spot,” Hardowa said. “It’s pretty obvious teams are picking it up a notch.”

Even Maine is back in the playoff picture after sweeping two games from BC last weekend.

“That serves as a pretty good reminder that nobody’s safe, especially in this conference,” Hardowa said. “It’s clear that no matter who you’re playing you’ve got to respect your opponent.”

UNH picked up the pace last Saturday against Merrimack. Six players scored goals for the Wildcats and goalie Casey DeSmith returned to form with 35 saves on 37 shots after sitting out Friday night’s game.

Saturday’s contest also featured the first career goals by freshmen Dan Correale and Collin MacDonald. They came in the final 1:02 of the second period and extended a 2-1 lead to 4-1.

“Obviously we’d like to be more consistent,” Hardowa said. “We’ve taken periods off here and there and that can’t happen. We were banging bodies out there and trying to be a hard team to play against, and I think that’s what we accomplished.”

UNH is 1-0-1 against Northeastern this season and 1-1-0 vs. Merrimack. The Wildcats haven’t seen the Huskies since a home-and-home series Oct. 26-27.

UNH rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win the first meeting 4-3 on a goal by John Henrion in the final minute.

The rematch at NU’s Matthews Arena ended in a scoreless deadlock. Northeastern’s Bryan Mountain made 44 saves in the second game and DeSmith finished with 34.

The Huskies are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to UMass-Lowell last Saturday in which they led 4-1 with 12 minutes left in the third period.

“If you get four points it’s a fabulous weekend,” said coach Dick Umile. “If you split it’s a good weekend. If you don’t it’s misery.”

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